Scientists believe they've discovered a new method to pin down just how fast our universe is expanding over time.

In a new study, a team of researchers from the University of Chicago found that studying the gravitational waves emitted by cosmic collisions could lead to more resolute predictions about how quickly the universe is expanding.

The scientists are so confident in this method that they say they could have a 'precise measurement' of the universe's rate of expansion in roughly five to ten years.

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Researchers found that studying the gravitational waves emitted by cosmic collisions could lead to more resolute predictions about how quickly the universe is expanding

NEUTRON STARS

Neutron stars are the small, dense remains of a once-massive star that exploded as a powerful supernova at the end of its natural life.

They often spin very rapidly and can sweep regular pulses of radiation towards Earth, like a lighthouse beacon appearing to flash on and off as it rotates.

These 'pulsars' can be found in stellar couples, with the neutron star cannibalising its neighbour.

This can lead to the neutron star spinning faster, and to pulses of high-energy X-rays from hot gas being funnelled down magnetic fields on to the neutron star.

Previously, scientists have relied on a variety of methods to prove the universe's exact rate of expansion, also known as the Hubble constant, which was first developed in 1929 and is named after famed astronomer Edwin Hubble.

They've coupled the Hubble constant with other methodologies, such as measuring differences in brightness between variable stars and supernovae, to estimate how fast the universe is expanding.

Another method involves examining the cosmic microwave background, or the pulse of light created at the very beginning of the universe.

However, like the aforementioned method, it tends to 'spit out distressingly different results,' the University of Chicago explained.

One says the universe is expanding almost 10 percent faster than the other, according to the researchers.

'This is a major question in cosmology right now,' said Hsin-Yu Chen, lead author of the study.

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Pinning down the universe's exact rate of expansion could come down to studying a breakthrough collision between two neutron stars, first observed in 2017.

In a new paper published in scientific journal Nature, the University of Chicago scientists say the collision could be a new way to calculate the Hubble constant.

The collision, first observed August 17th, 2017, marked the world's first-ever detection of two faraway neutron stars colliding, causing a massive blast that rippled through the fabric of space and time.

Pinning down the universe's exact rate of expansion could come down to studying a breakthrough collision between two neutron stars, first observed in 2017

This image shows an artist's illustration of two merging neutron stars. Ligo, the world's largest gravitational wave observatory, picked up on the gravitational waves emitted by the explosion

Ligo, the world's largest gravitational wave observatory, picked up on the gravitational waves emitted by the explosion.

It occurred some 130 million light-years away, but given how quickly researchers observed the star collision, it could give them a 'very accurate measurement' of the Hubble constant within the next five to ten years, according to the study.

The gravitational waves, or ripples through the fabric of space-time predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago, could be the key to determining a more accurate Hubble constant.

'When two massive stars crash into each other, they send out ripples in the fabric of space-time that can be detected on Earth,' the University of Chicago said.

'By measuring that signal, scientists can get a signature of the mass and energy of the colliding stars.

'When they compare this reading with the strength of the gravitational waves, they can infer how far away it is.'

The 2017 collision marked the world's first-ever detection of two faraway neutron stars colliding, causing a blast that rippled through the fabric of space and time (artist's impression)

WHAT ARE GRAVITATIONAL WAVES?

Scientists view the the universe as being made up of a 'fabric of space-time'.

This corresponds to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, published in 1916.

Objects in the universe bend this fabric, and more massive objects bend it more.

Gravitational waves are considered ripples in this fabric.

They can be produced, for instance, when black holes orbit each other or by the merging of galaxies.

Gravitational waves are also thought to have been produced during the Big Bang.

If found, they would not only confirm the Big Bang theory but also offer insights into fundamental physics.

For instance, they could shed light on the idea that, at one point, most or all of the forces of nature were combined into a single force.

In March 2014, a team operating the Bicep2 telescope, based near the South Pole, believed they had found gravitational waves, but their results were proven to be inaccurate.

The scientists say measuring gravitational waves could serve as a 'cleaner' way to infer how fast the universe is expanding.

However, there are concerns about how often scientists could catch these cosmic collisions and how solid the data from them would be.

They predict that once scientists have detected 25 readings from neutron star collisions, they can measure the expansion of the universe within a startling accuracy rate of 3 percent.

With 200 readings, that reduces further to 1 percent, according to the University of Chicago.

'It was quite a surprise for me when we got into the simulations,' Chen said.

'It was clear we could reach precision, and we could reach it fast.'

Planned upgrades to the Ligo should mean that the detectors' sensitivities will be much stronger.

This could potentially lead to the number and distance of 'astronomical events' they can pick up and scientists can use to firm up their hypothesis around how fast the universe is expanding.

'With the collision we saw last year, we got lucky—it was close to us, so it was relatively easy to find and analyze,' said Maya Fishbach, another author of the paper.

'Future detections will be much farther away, but once we get the next generation of telescopes, we should be able to find counterparts for these distant detections as well.'